Now and Forever with multi-published author and poet Tammy Dennings Maggy

Monthly Archives: April 2014

Welcome to Behind Closed Doors! Today I’d like to share an excerpt from my current WIP, “Bound in Paradise.” This is actually a prequel to The Surrender of Julia (Now and Forever 3). I’ve had several people ask about how Julia and Carmen met and about their time in Hawaii. When we decided to put a summer anthology together, I thought this novella would be a good fit along with one by Lia Michaels and Bonnie Bliss. Season of Sun and Sin is turning out to be one of my favorite compilations to work on because of the stories that will be included. If all goes according to schedule, we hope to have advanced print copies to take with us to RomCon in June. Denver here we come!

Let me first say the following is an UNEDITED excerpt. My editor will have her hands on the completed piece within the next few days and will help me tweak things throughout. In other words, please don’t jump all over me if you find grammatical errors. This is still a WIP and things could change, including this scene. So with that said, here’s a scene from Carmen’s POV. She’s helping her sub Julia get ready for their first scene in front of their BDSM play group.

ADULT EXCERPT

Julia sat before her with her eyes closed. Carmen expertly French braided her lover’s hair with dark red ribbons, and then secured the end so the resulting tail hung half way down her back. She gazed at Julia’s reflection in the mirror in front of them. Her body flushed from her cheek bones to the valley between her full breasts on display in the red leather corset. “Open your eyes.”

Julia gasped. “How did you do that so fast? I thought you had trouble with hair.”

“Only with my own. I have a lot of fun playing with the hair of others, especially my pets. No one has hair like yours. It’s perfect.” Carmen wrapped the braid around her hand and smiled.

“Now I understand why you wanted to braid my hair.”

Carmen tugged the braid so Julia’s head tilted back. “As much as I love your hair all wild and free, it’s best to keep it bound like this so everyone can see your beautiful face as it flushes deep crimson with exertion. You will have to work hard to maintain control until I give you permission to let go.”

Julia’s steel gray eyes appeared to sparkle with excitement. “I’ve been looking forward to this night ever since you invited me to come here with you. You could have had any of the others as your sub and you picked me. Why?”

“I saw a fire in you I wanted to harness but not extinguish. Many would try to break you, but I wanted the chance to bring out your true self. I know you have a lot of walls built up around your heart. I want you to trust me enough to keep you safe so you can bust down those barriers. You ooze sensuality and raw sex with every movement of your body. Do you realize that every time you enter a room, all eyes are drawn to you? Some want to possess you. Others desire to be possessed by you.”

“And you?” Julia swallowed hard and held Carmen’s gaze.

“I’ve been searching for a sub who can not only take whatever instruction I dish out, but can challenge me to be a better Mistress. I want a partner in every sense of the word. I have no power unless you give it to me. Your complete submission and trust in me is the best aphrodisiac.” She released the braid and reached for a few the diamond crusted combs on the dressing table. She slid each into the weave of the braid securing the last of the stray tendrils from Julia’s face.

Julia smiled and slipped her silk stockinged feet into the thigh high patent leather boots.

Carmen knelt and adjusted the laces of each boot so the material fit Julia’s body like a second skin. “Walk a few steps for me and let me know if they’re tight enough. I don’t want you to lose your balance because the boots aren’t giving you enough support.”

Julia took a few tentative steps and then lengthened her stride into a full on strut across the room. The five inch high heel of the boots changed her posture so she had to stick out her already rounded ass and arch her back to keep her balance. She turned and made her way back toward Carmen with a smile that lit up her face. “It’s a little scary at first to be this high up from the ground, but I don’t feel like I’m going to fall over. I think you have the laces just right.”

Carmen patted the cushion in front of her. “Good. Sit down. I have one more adornment for you.”

Julia sat down as directed. Her eyes fell to the box Carmen now held in her hands. “What’s in there?”

Carmen pushed a button and the lid popped open to reveal several clamps with bells attached. She picked up one and shook it in front of Julia’s eyes. “Spread your legs, kitten”

For those of you who haven’t readThe Surrender of Julia yet, you’re in luck! Sassy Vixen Publishing has agreed to lower the price for a limited time only to 99¢. That’s right! You get two bucks off the list price if you act now. Look for the sale on ALL ROMANCE and AMAZON.

Another of my author friends shared a post from another blog today about what it means to be called a real writer. If you’re like me, you’ve had this conversation with your fair share of people when you tell them what genre(s) you write. People feel romance authors…specifically erotic romance authors aren’t real writers. If they haven’t seen us on Oprah’s book of the month club or on the NY Times best sellers list we aren’t real writers. If they have never heard of us before, we aren’t real writers. See where I’m doing with this?

There are no fast and hard rules about what is a real writer. If you write, you are one. Period. People confuse being a writer with being famous. Fame has nothing to do with it although it would be nice! LOL! We write because we have to do it. It’s in our blood. We hope others enjoy our stories, but even if they don’t, we still continue to write. So the next time someone tells you they’re a writer, ask them about their latest works and their writing process. Get to know the person before you turn your nose up at them because they don’t write the kind of stories you would be interested in.

Christine Ashworth posted a wonderful blog about “real” writers. You have to read it. She put into words what many of us try to explain to others every single day. Click HERE to find the article. Leave a comment on her blog to let her know what you think of it.

Released December 29, 2013

I’ve been busy working on the prequel to The Surrender of Julia (Now and Forever 3). It’s a short novella called “Bound in Paradise” and will be one of the three pieces in Sassy Vixen Publishing’s Season of Sun and Sin anthology. While working on that, it dawned on me that I have nine books out now between all of my pen names. The anthology will be the tenth and will include TWO of my stories. My 11th and 12th books will be out this summer too. I’m not yet up there on the charts like some people are, but I do have my fan base and it’s growing. These folks make me want to keep putting stories out there, but honestly even if they weren’t there, I’d still be writing. I may not put them out for others to read, but I’d write the stories just the same. My characters don’t ever keep quiet. LOL!

To celebrate and to thank those who have supported me on this journey, Sassy Vixen Publishing has agreed to offer The Surrender of Julia for only 99 cents for a very limited time on All Romance ebooks and Amazon. If you haven’t picked up you copy yet, please do so. If you have time, I’d love to hear what you think about the book. Reviews on Amazon and Goodreads help me continue to improve as a writer and storyteller.

Welcome to Behind Closed Doors and the promotion/review blitz of Lily by author Bonnie Bliss. The tour is hosted by Book Enthusiast Promotions. We’re one of several stops showcasing excerpts on some and reviews of the book on others. In fact, our sister blog Sassy Vixen Publishing will feature a review. A link to that site will be provided at the end of the post. So let’s get started with the fun!

One, Wallace is her perfect idea of a partner, loving, loyal and handsome. The second, Bryn, is her true mate, the man chosen for her by nature and her family. Denial and naivety for nature’s choice, sends her into a rage of independence against the laws of her own destiny, family and her own father.

Wallace Kirk is assigned to protect the beautiful Lily since her birth…

His loyalties are tearing him apart. His own mate, dead, taken from him, fills his thoughts as Lily begs for his attention. She needs him, but not as much as the wolf that prowls in her flesh.

Bryn Kemp’s nature and need fill his flesh…

Yet his true mate, the woman chosen for him, denies her destiny. His battle for her and his own pride must overcome her feisty rebellious streak. Both men must fight for her in the throes of oncoming battle and she must make the right choice. A decision that will shape the war.

*Author note: this book was previously published under the title Blackwood: Lily by R.L. Kirk*

Lily nodded thanks at the woman who served her coffee. Turning too quickly, she collided with a very firm wall like being. She stumbled backwards and strong arms wrapped around her waist. Lily turned in time to see a quick, large hand catch the cup of coffee before it splattered all over the ground.

Inexplicably, she felt moisture pool between her legs. A whimper parted her lips. She turned breathlessly to look up at the most mesmerizing blue eyes she’d ever seen. Lily couldn’t breathe. Hell, she didn’t want to. She might vomit all over him in her embarrassment.

Her wolf exploded to the surface and she leaned up, tipped over by her rescuer and took in a deep whiff of his scent. It was so right. God, he smelled like the moist woods at night, soap, and salted masculine sweat. The tip of her nose rubbed against the curve of his neck and she opened her mouth. She realized in an instant what she was about to do to the handsome, gorgeous stranger—mark him as hers.

Mine.

Her wolf snarled and tried to become the dominant player in this new unexpected game. She felt something bay back at her. Startled, she realized that the man holding her was wolf. Her fingers gripped his biceps tighter and she opened her mouth to speak.

Slowly, and as if she would break from too rough a movement, the man set her to rights. “Sorry, I thought you wanted to dance there, this is Starbucks right? Not a dance studio?”

Lily found that her lips were flapping like a fish out of water. She sealed her lips shut and swallowed past the lump in her throat. Her heart thumped wildly against her rib cage and she could only stare up at this beautiful man—wolf. “Um, sorry. You must think I’m just—?” Reluctantly, she moved away from him.

His smile was warm and it reached his eyes. His dark hair was trimmed, but the ends at the back of his neck touched the collar of his shirt—rugged and wild.

Like me.

She watched him reach out and brush a strand of hair from her face. It was so tender her heart suddenly started to ache.

He is wolf, run for fucks sakes! Wallace is the only safe wolf.

But she couldn’t. She was rooted to the spot. Super glued to the floor. She wanted to know this man so bad.“Yeah, um, sorry again. I mean, I was thinking about things. Stuff—my friends.”

“Well, maybe you could help me; I’m actually supposed to meet someone, a young woman.”

She swallowed and tilted back a bit. For some reason the thought of him looking for another woman made her jealous—nope it downright pissed her and her wolf off. The barely restrained snarl pressed at her lips that were now tightly pressed together. Once she’d regained some form of humanity, she cleared her throat. “What makes you think I can find her? London is a huge place, and I only deal with a certain type of client in my line of work.”

“I was told to meet her here, her name’s Lily Blackwood.”

Meet the Author:

Bonnie Bliss is the brain child of two authors. Bonnie is husband and wife duo that has come together to weave stories of passion, action, betrayal, and ultimate surrender. They have discovered that mixing genres in their thing. Their tastes go dark, and they love to twisted up sweet stories and make them a bit more tense and sexy. Bonnie writes in multiple genres with plans to dabble into more areas of fiction.

One is a Southern California native, the other was born and raised in Yorkshire, England. The husband spends his time giving the wife alpha males with bite. He is a man who needs to see his world in print. He has a panty melting accent, loves listening to music, watching Game of Thrones, and obsessing over Heisenberg. The wife spends her time writing strong women that evolve into their power, they don’t just come out guns blazing. She claims the song California Girls, by Katy Perry is totally accurate. She’s done everything from waitressing, customer service phone rep., Corporate Real Estate, and spent a pretty impression part of her life working for the Disney Corporation—before finding her way into the publishing world with her husband.

Welcome back to Behind Closed Doors, a place where I like to share thoughts and bits about my writing. This week, I’m having a very bad case of the dreaded writer’s block. Honestly, this is really a bad time for this to happen. I have a huge deadline. In less than two weeks I have to turn in two novellas to my editor, finish up my application for my veterinary license in Washington so it will be in place when we move in the fall, finish the final book in my alter ego Tawny Savage’s Bigfoot Chronicles for a June/July release date…and pack up this house to get ready for the move. Oy!

Is it any wonder I’m blocked? LOL

I wish I could just go away somewhere, lock out the rest of the world and just let the muses take me where they want to take me. I’m ready for the journey. I learned a long time ago not to try to direct any of my muses. They speak when they wish and that’s that. No amount of begging, pleading or bribing will get them to open up if they don’t want to do it, and for Goddess sake don’t you dare try to tell them how the story will turn out! Talk about a mutiny…

I didn’t try to take over the story at all. I kept all of my pens and notebooks at the ready, eager to jot down any little tidbit even if it only was a partial scene or snippet of dialogue. Whatever it was, I wrote it down. Unfortunately, all the bits and parts aren’t coming together like they have in the past. What’s a girl to do?

I’ve tried walking away, switching manuscripts to work on a different story, changing scenery, with music, without music, total silence in my office (totally didn’t work), EVERYTHING and it’s still all fuzzy. Maybe my muses need a vacation? Not sure how I can send them on one until I’ve completed these stories but if that’s what they need I’ll have to figure out a way.

Well, I’m off to change things up yet again and see if the Candy Kisses foursome will tell me more about their new adults only pub in the Detroit Metro area. Yes, that’s one of the stories I have to write for the Sassy Vixen Publishing summer anthology Season of Sun and Sin. This particular novella I’m writing as Lia Michaels and follows the Candy Kisses restaurant owners Candice, Alexander, Gabriel and their new partner Darrin. This one finds them six months after they formed their…uh…partnership both in and out of the bedroom in the winter anthology ‘Tis the Season for Seduction. Better get back to it!